Surviving December

“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.” 
Oliver Herford

Here we are, all surviving December or trying to at least. It can be a difficult and stressful month that is for sure. We just got past the time of Thankfulness and survived family and glutony at the table. Now we have to survive shopping chaos, mass commercialism and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the expectations of Christmas or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. For me it's always a tough time when the days turn darker and the nights get longer. I long for spring and the return of the sun, the flowers and the green chlorophyll pumping through the leaves again.

Narcissus romieuxii proves we have a flower at Illahe every month. While none of the potted specimens are blooming I found this little seedling survivng in the gap between the ground cloth and the greenhouse foundation board. Surviving December and even thriving. 

But there is one place I can go that brings joy despite the season. The open ocean for me provides a great escape from everything and always puts a smile on my face. Ling cod fishing off the Central Oregon Coast in December.

I should have been a sailor......I think I feel most at home on the ocean. The problems you face are really only those that concern your immediate survival, and the barren wilderness is actually a true wilderness; there are no roads here and the course you choose is any one you wish. I was happy to get out on my boat for one last trip before the end of the year. Even managed to boat a gigantic lingcod, my biggest ever. I sent her back to spawn in the depths of the rocky reefs off Oregon's central coast and huge smile came across my face and for a moment there was  not a worry or care the world. 

I'm off for a botanical adventure in Chile immediately after Christmas so I thought I would get a blog post off before we enter the home stretch of the holiday season. I'm busy prepping for that trip and the holiday and since there isn't a whole lot happening in my floral kingdom besides that stray Narcissus and some giant Christmas Amaryllis blooming in the living room. 

The weather has returned to what I would call a normal Willamette Valley winter, grey overcast skies, occasional fog, rain, and sun. Temps with highs in the low 50's and lows in the high 30's. 

Cheers, 

Mark